Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 39
byChapter 39 The Truth (I)
Despite there being only two people, Wen Yi, for some reason, had a large amount of breakfast sent up.
He Chen disliked wasting food, but his appetite was inexplicably poor, and he ate slower than usual.
“Are you feeling unwell?” Lu Changqing asked.
“No,” He Chen answered instinctively.
“Since you took medicine, you must be honest about any reactions.”
“Oh, well, my appetite isn’t great, and my head feels a bit heavy,” He Chen said, then, uncharacteristically, paid serious attention to his body for a moment. “Also, is my heart rate slightly fast?”
Heart rate? Lu Changqing pressed his wrist, counted his pulse, then released it. “It is fast, which is related to your fever. Rest after you finish eating.”
As he spoke, he took away the hard-to-digest sticky rice roll from He Chen’s plate and replaced it with a bowl of congee.
“Thank you.”
He Chen stared at the bowl of congee for a moment, lost in thought, before picking up his spoon and lowering his head to drink. His two wolf ears stood up obediently, looking quiet and composed.
“What are you busy with, Shixiong? You didn’t sleep all night. If it’s not urgent, maybe deal with it later.”
After two sips of congee, He Chen suddenly looked up.
Lu Changqing averted his gaze for a second, then said calmly, “It is a rather urgent matter.”
“We found the source of the beastkin.”
Beastkin? He Chen’s focus sharpened.
“Where did they come from? Is someone really controlling them? How could they hide in a place like Star Capital?”
As He Chen asked, he glanced at Lu Changqing’s calm expression and suddenly felt a little awkward: He forgot, he should ask one question at a time.
Fortunately, Lu Changqing didn’t comment and answered them one by one. “We found an underground laboratory not far from the campsite. There were signs of experiments being conducted on beastkin, but they had already fled by the time we found it.”
Lu Changqing said.
He Chen nodded inwardly: This matched what he had Ning Tian investigate secretly. Lu Changqing wasn’t lying to him.
“That underground lab was built many years ago. The location is very hidden and has interference facilities, so we didn’t discover it initially. Also—”
Lu Changqing paused and looked at He Chen. “The investigation confirmed that this lab is connected to Chu Jianhua, who committed treason back then.”
Chu Jianhua? He Chen stopped his spoon mid-air.
That name was taboo to the Emperor, and rarely mentioned in Star Capital, but He Chen certainly knew who he was.
The Emperor’s own brother, a former prince, who failed in his attempt to seize the throne and died. He Chen’s own father was rumored to have been his advisor.
“He built the lab?” He Chen asked.
“The land belonged to him, and there are countless connections in the paperwork.”
“The land and paperwork—” He Chen paused for a moment, then looked up. Despite the fever, his eyes were clear. “Shixiong has already investigated this far. You didn’t just discover the lab’s location today, did you?”
Indeed not. Because the matter involved Chu Jianhua, and even He Chen’s supposed “father,” Lu Changqing hadn’t told him at first.
“The matter is significant, so I transferred the leads to the Patrol Bureau, and they are handling the investigation,” Lu Changqing explained calmly.
“However, there is one thing I was genuinely curious about, so I sent people to pursue it.”
“What is it?” He Chen asked.
“Chu Jianhua and his subordinates have been mostly eliminated. Who is still supplying this lab to keep it running?”
Right, who? He Chen frowned. “That might be hard to investigate. The other party must be operating very secretly.”
“If we were searching blindly, yes, but it becomes much easier if we narrow the scope,” Lu Changqing said, placing a small dish of side vegetables next to He Chen, signaling him to eat his congee, while continuing to explain. “The beastkin the other party deployed that day were either targeting me or targeting you.”
“Or possibly targeting Leyan!” He Chen, suffering from “persecutory delusion,” added.
Lu Changqing didn’t refute him, but followed his line of thought. “It’s unclear who would target me and Leyan, but it’s not hard to guess who would target you.”
“Targeting me?” He Chen furrowed his brow. “The He family?”
“But I’ve been acting quite well. They shouldn’t have discovered I’m targeting them.”
“Villains don’t wait for you to make the first move. However, I’m not talking about the He family, because you still have value to them. But, there is one person in the He family who is an exception.”
“There is one person who, regardless of whether you are right or wrong, harmless or harmful, is full of resentment toward you and wishes you didn’t exist in this world.”
“Are you saying—” He Chen clenched his fingers, his face pale.
Could she hate him that much, enough to want him dead?
“I’m talking about He Siyuan.”
Hmm? He Chen looked up.
“I treated He Siyuan and felt the darkness and hatred in his spiritual world.” Especially during the second treatment, He Siyuan happened to see He Chen returning from Han River, and the unusual spiritual fluctuation in that moment could not be hidden from Lu Changqing.
“He is jealous of your talent, your excellence. Your very existence is enough to fuel his hatred.”
Lu Changqing noticed He Chen’s poor complexion, and his voice deepened as he added, “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.”
“I know,” He Chen said softly. He wasn’t an idiot or a block of wood. He had clearly sensed He Siyuan’s hostility when he first arrived in Star Capital years ago. After all these years, he had long since… achieved peace of mind.
However, after speaking, he noticed Lu Changqing was still watching him, and when He Chen looked up, he realized Lu Changqing was unusually serious.
He Chen paused, and his voice became serious too: “I understand. It’s not my fault.”
Perhaps due to the fever burning him, his eyes were bright, resolute, and clear when he said this.
Lu Changqing held his teacup, watching him intently. “It’s good that you think that way.”
Yes, your existence is certainly not a mistake, and neither is mine.
“So this lab is connected to He Siyuan?” He Chen asked.
“Yes, my people found several suspicious transactions linked to him. Just last night, he even used his connections to greenlight a transport freighter with suspicious cargo.”
“He’s moving the beastkin?” He Chen asked, his eyes narrowing. “I also had someone tracking him. He secretly met with someone last night.”
“Why were you tracking him?” Lu Changqing asked.
“Ahem, I had a hunch he was trouble,” He Chen said gravely. Although, in reality, he was just giving Ning Tian something to do.
Lu Changqing didn’t press. “Did your people get a photo of him?”
He Chen nodded, then gripped his chopsticks, frowning. “That freighter should be intercepted and checked—”
“It has been intercepted. You eat your food,” Lu Changqing said.
“If you really can’t eat, a nutritional supplement will do.”
“I can eat.” He Chen wasn’t that delicate. He finished the congee in one go, his mind still focused on the main issue. “If it really is He Siyuan, is the He family involved?”
He frowned. “What were they researching in that lab?”
“We’ll have to wait for the follow-up investigation to know what they were researching. Based on current clues, He Siyuan seems to have been secretly contacting the lab behind the He family’s back.”
Only He Siyuan? He Chen was somewhat disappointed.
However, only He Siyuan was good enough. The matter of the space pirates, the revenge for Jin Ge and Xiang Heng, and He Siyuan’s immediate attempt to harm him… “I want to take him down and collect some interest. What do I need to do?”
He asked Lu Changqing, adopting a businesslike attitude, inquiring about the “price” he needed to pay.
“You don’t need to do anything. Since this happened on my territory, I was going to handle it anyway,” Lu Changqing said.
“However, there is one issue involved that concerns you.” Lu Changqing looked at He Chen, hesitated for a rare moment, then spoke slowly.
“What is it?”
“Have you ever considered why He Siyuan would be connected to Chu Jianhua’s former subordinates?”
This question stunned He Chen. “Is the He family involved in Chu Jianhua’s treason case?”
“No, it has nothing to do with the He family.” Lu Changqing checked He Chen’s complexion before continuing. “According to the case files, your nominal father, Jing Wendi, was a biologist before becoming Chu Jianhua’s advisor. What would a biologist do under Chu Jianhua?”
What would he do? If asked at another time, He Chen might not have been able to answer, but Lu Changqing’s current question had a clear implication.
“The lab is connected to my father?” He Chen asked in a low voice.
“Ninety percent likely,” Lu Changqing replied. “When the Chu Jianhua case was investigated back then, this lab was not exposed. Your father was convicted for other reasons, but after learning about the lab’s existence and cross-referencing the files, many traces become apparent.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He Chen remained silent for a long time, his hands clenched on his knees. “Whatever his crimes, I accept them. This matter should be exposed as it should be.”
“My point is, why would He Siyuan be connected to your father’s lab?” Lu Changqing said.
Because the real matter he needed to discuss was too bizarre and sudden, Lu Changqing intended to proceed gradually and set the stage, but a layer of confusion blocked He Chen’s thoughts. “Why?”
“Because he might not be your father, but—He Siyuan’s father.”
“How is that possible?” After Lu Changqing finished speaking, He Chen was first stunned, then denied it. “He Siyuan being connected to the lab doesn’t mean he’s connected to, to my father. Shixiong’s deduction is a bit too hasty.”
“Shixiong might not know, but my father—that person—passed away when both He Siyuan and I were still fetuses in artificial wombs.”
“Since you were both fetuses, substitution would have been easy,” Lu Changqing’s voice was calm. “One of your fathers died, and the other went missing, so there was no DNA to compare. Both of your identities have always been determined solely by He Yayun—your mother’s—word.”
“If she tampered with things, it would be difficult for others to discover.”
“But why would she do that?” He Chen still didn’t believe it, but his expression was bewildered. “No, she has no reason—”
“Jing Wendi committed the serious crime of treason. According to the laws at the time, serious crimes resulted in guilt by association, and his immediate family members, including children, infants, and even embryos, would be exiled to a pauper planet with him.”
“If He Yayun wanted to protect his child—”
“I don’t want to hear it.” He Chen suddenly stood up, a flush of color on his pale face. “These are all bizarre speculations, and they have nothing to do with, with what we were originally discussing.”
“I encountered Elder Fang while reviewing the files,” Lu Changqing suddenly added.
“Who?” He Chen’s mind was somewhat blank. He heard what Lu Changqing was saying but couldn’t quite process it.
“Elder Fang.” Lu Changqing looked at him, his voice clear and gentle, like a tranquilizer, having a calming effect. “Please sit down first.”
He stood up, pressed He Chen back onto the sofa, then opened his terminal and brought up a photo.
“This was drawn by a portrait expert based on Elder Fang’s description.”
“Who is this?” He Chen asked, looking at the photo.
The photo showed a young military officer with handsome features and a stern demeanor. He Chen felt a sense of familiarity, though he couldn’t place why.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t familiarity, but rather… the person in the photo bore some resemblance to He Chen himself.
Although not enough to look like a mirror image, it still made him feel familiar.
“Over thirty years ago, Elder Fang was in danger outside and was rescued by an officer from the He family, this person.”
“Elder Fang wanted to repay him, but he refused everything. Elder Fang felt a connection with him and wanted to befriend him properly, but soon after, he learned the officer had gone missing during a mission and was presumed dead.”
“The first time Elder Fang saw you, he felt a sense of déjà vu. Since he didn’t have a photo of the officer, he asked someone to draw a portrait.”
“Elder Fang also clearly remembers that the officer’s spiritual body was a wolf, though not a snow wolf.”
“If that’s not enough—” Lu Changqing pulled up a second photo. “This is a photo of your treasonous father.”
“And this one, is He Siyuan.”
Lu Changqing placed the two men’s photos side by side. At first glance, they didn’t look very similar, but after removing the factor of hairstyle and adding lines for facial proportions and bone structure, they suddenly looked alike.
“This doesn’t prove anything,” He Chen shifted his gaze away, looking to the side, his chest rising and falling slightly, a flicker of pain crossing his face.
“Indeed. The crucial link is how He Siyuan connected with the lab. Evidence for that is still being investigated and will be available soon—Are you unwell?” Lu Changqing suddenly asked.
“No,” He Chen shook his head.
“You are not in good shape. I should have told you these things later, but the Patrol Bureau arrested that freighter early this morning, and He Siyuan will also be detained soon. Since you and I are connected to the case, we may both be summoned for questioning quickly.”
“You need to decide soon how to respond and whether to uncover the truth.”
“I don’t know what the truth is,” He Chen said.
The truth was, regardless of this bizarre and fantastic story, to He Yayun, he was always just a despised weed that could be discarded at will!
“Wait a moment.” He Chen couldn’t suppress the churning in his chest and suddenly rushed into the restroom, gripping the sink…
A moment later, he emerged from the restroom, his skin damp with water, a faint redness lingering around his eyes, yet he was smiling. “What kind of medicine did Shixiong give me? It’s quite potent.”
Lu Changqing had immediately cleared all the food from the table—to avoid causing He Chen discomfort.
He only left a cup of warm water, which he handed to He Chen, his voice calm. “I’ll have someone send over some medicine to alleviate the symptoms right away.”
“No need. I feel better after throwing up.”
He Chen took the water, his demeanor composed and cold. “I’ve decided. I want the truth.”